


Bored At Work #2.3

by Jinx (jinx37kat)



Series: Bored At Work (OC) [4]
Category: The OC
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-30
Updated: 2005-09-30
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9268235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinx37kat/pseuds/Jinx
Summary: Need a lift?





	

Seth had to admit he was completely shocked when he came out of detention the following day to find Ryan in the parking lot again.

After last night's confession, he honestly didn't think he would be seeing Ryan for awhile.

Once they got home, Seth stood in the entrance way and watched Ryan bee-line it directly for the back of the house and to the sanctuary of his pool house. And while Seth didn't really expect the Great American Best Buds Hangout, he certainly didn't expect Ryan to ditch him as soon as they got home either.

Sighing heavily, Seth slinked up the stairs to his room and tossed himself on his bed. He was sure that Ryan just needed time to brood and think about everything that Seth had said, but his latent Cohen Insecurity Gene informed him that he was wrong, wrong, wrong and that Ryan just wanted to get the hell away from him. 

Snagging a book that had laid dormant on his side table for too long, Seth stretched out in the middle of his bed and started reading... anything to take his mind off of the taunt his brain was mocking him with that he had probably lost his best friend. 

He tossed the book on the floor moments later and laid down flat on his bed. He pulled the pillow from under him and covered his face, not wanting to admit to the wetness that had just popped up in his eyes.

An hour later, he informed his mom that he wasn't hungry and stayed in his room without dinner. He really wasn't up to facing an angry or worse yet, a broody Ryan, so he stayed where it was safe: his room.

The next day, Summer came and picked him up and the rest of the school day was as boring as it ever was... Summer was still pissed about Taylor Townsend taking the Social Committee Chair away from her; and apparently Seth wasn't being supportive enough. Also apparently, she seemed to have forgotten that Seth was currently serving two months of detention as punishment for saving her scrawny ass. So after handing her her latte before first period, Seth stood up and left his girlfriend to her own brooding in the rec room.

As Seth slumped out of the school at five o'clock that evening, to say he was shocked to see the Rover in the parking lot would have been an understatement. Ryan hadn't come up to his room last night. Ryan hadn't been at breakfast this morning, though there was no reason for that now since he was now a home-schooled kid. So seeing Ryan kinda shocked him.

Ryan was leaning against the Rover's front driver's side hood, arms crossed over his chest. And the moment that Ryan spotted him, he unfolded himself and started towards Seth, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey," Ryan greeted quietly.

"Hey," Seth answered, one eyebrow doing an uncanny impression of his father's -- raising up to his hairline in question. "What's up?"

Ryan shrugged a shoulder and fell into step beside Seth. "Told ya I'd pick you up."

Seth looked over at his walking companion. "You didn't have to, dude. Seriously. It's not that far a walk."

Now it was Ryan's turn to raise a Sandy-sized eyebrow complete with incredulous arch.

"Okay," Seth amended. "So it would take awhile, but, dude... seriously... you didn't..."

"Yes, I did. Do. You know what I mean." Ryan waved a hand in the air. "It's the least I could do for, you know," Ryan looked down. "And," he waved behind him to indicate the school. "You know."

Seth nodded and quirked his lips in a small grin. "Yeah, I know."

He waited until Ryan unlocked the door and climbed into the passenger's side, quickly latching his seatbelt.

"So, uh," Seth began as Ryan started the engine. "How's school?"

Ryan turned to him and smiled. "Okay."

"Okay," Seth answered and turned to look out the window. 

Ryan was being more silent than usual, but Seth really couldn't blame him. After Seth going off on him, Seth was surprised that Ryan was still speaking to him. He was surprised that Ryan even bothered to pick him up! It was better than nothing. Until...

Ryan pulled up in their driveway. Seth was halfway out of the car when he realized that the engine was still running and Ryan was not coming with him.

"Ryan?"

"I've, uh, got..." Ryan responded evasively, pointing behind him as though the answer lay in the back seat.

"Oh," Seth said dejectedly. "Okay. See ya."

"Later." And Ryan backed down the driveway and drove away, leaving Seth to stare sadly after him.

 

And so it continued like that for the next month: Ryan would be waiting for Seth in the parking lot and would take him home, but would never come in with him... always dropping him off and then leaving. 

Seth figured that Ryan would want to hang out with Marissa since he didn't get to see her all day at school anymore. But it hurt that Ryan would act like everything was all right by picking him up at school, but then would dump him off with barely a wave of his hand or a grunt of a goodbye. And he never came up to Seth's room anymore. Probably didn't get home until late anyway from visiting with Marissa.

Used and discarded. Seth should be used to that by now, but somehow he wasn't.

It hurt more than he would admit.

So, as with every other week night for the past month, Seth slowly walked up the stairs and softly closed his bedroom door behind him.

Alone.

 

TBC?


End file.
